See The Beauty of Seongnamsa Temple in Ulsan, Korea

Seongnamsa Temple (석남사-울산) sits on the southern side of the Gaji mountain range in Ulsan and is one of the four major Buddhist temples of the Gajisan Provincial Park.

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The Buddhist temple was originally built in 824AD by monk Master Doui. Of course, as many temples were, this temple was destroyed during the Japanese Invasions between 1592 and 1598 and was subsequently rebuilt in 1674 by Zen Masters Takyoung and Sunchol. Currently, there are 30 buildings on the premises, some of which are not open to the public as this is a major temple for Buddhist nuns to reside and practice asceticism.

One of the highlights of the temple is the Three Story Pagoda, or Seokgomoni Pagoda, in the center courtyard which was built in 824AD. Monk Doui resurrected this pagoda with the hope that it would help protect his country from foreign invasions. While it may not have worked, it still is a beautiful sight and begs everyone to take a breath, take a seat and experience the calm of the grounds they’re about to explore.

Behind the temple is the main hall, Daengjeon or the “Great Hero Hall”. The area to the right of the main hall is off limits to visitors as the nuns reside there, but the buildings to the left are open for peering eyes to see. A stupa behind the main hall contains the remains of the founding monk, Doui, and sits above the rest of the grounds providing a good vantage point for the temple grounds and the mountainous area surrounding the colorful temple.

I haven’t spent a lot of time visiting these kind of temples in Asia so found this really interesting. I can’t believe the level of detail, colour anad intricacy of the artwork. That photo you have showing the underside of the roof is just incredible. Thanks so much for your detail in this article, I found it fascinating.

South Korea is one of the countries included in my list for next year. It really is simply amazing. The beautiful, colorful, and intricate designs of the temples, especially its roofs are amazing. Thank you for showing us beautiful glimpses of South Korea, particularly Ulsan.

[…] only did we enjoy the natural aspects of being in the forest together, but we also visited the nearby and beautiful Seongnamsa Temple. Because we weren’t going to attempt to scale the mountain with a two year old in tow, we […]

The Blogger

My name is Hallie Bradley and I am writer, photographer (most of the time), influencer and dreamer behind The Soul of Seoul. I originally hail from Dayton, Ohio, USA but have called Seoul, Korea my home since 2006. This site shares the sights, sounds and spaces that I have uncovered here in Korea as well as where my multicultural family travels. To learn more about me, click here. Have a question, comment or want to get in touch? Email me: admin@thesoulofseoul.net

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